Shoe-turning machine.



M. BRUNER & W. V. NEAL SHOE TURNlNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18. 1911.

1,93,4 Patented Jan.15,1918.

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WI. BRUNER & W- V. NEAL.

SHOE ruawme wmcmms.

w APPLICATION FILED MAY 18 1911- Lfi Patented Jan. 15, 1918.

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MEYLERT B RUNER, 0F NEWTON, AND WALTER V. NEAL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSlG-NOBS, BYLIESNE ASSIGNMENTfS, T0 UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, .OF PA'IERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CUEPUZBIATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SHOE-TURNING MACHINE.

tenants.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jana T5, 191% To all 'whom'z'tma z concern:

Be it'known that we, llinrtnn'r BRUNER and Vi ALTER V. NEAL, citizensof the United States, residing at Newton, in thecounty of hill ddlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and Boston, in the county O-f'SLlfiOlk and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, respectively, have inventedce-rtain new and useful Improvements in Shoe--Turning Machines; and we do hereby declare the'fo'llowing to be a tullyclear, and exact description of the invention, such as'will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to turning machines and more particularly to machines for turning the uppers'of boots or shoes.

Various types of machines have been devised for turning the heel and torepart ot'a shoe upper but in operating these machines considerable difficulty has been experienced owing to the liability of damaging the shoe during the turning operation.

it is an object of the present inventionto provide a shoe turning machine of an improved type which will properly turn different stylesand sizes of shoes while minimizing the liability of tearing the upper, breaking the sole or otherwise damaging the shoe.

A feature of the invention contemplates the provision in a shoe turning machine of turning instrumentalities which are actuated pneumatically to perform the turning operation without putting an excessive strain upon the upper or sole ofthe shoe. A fur ther feature of the invention contemplates the provision of mechanism operating in conjunction with the turning instrumentalities for admitting air under pressure to the interior of the shoe at the completion. of the turning operationtodistend the upper and lining ofthe shoe and prevent wrinkling of the latter.

the forepart of the shoeby a pressure exeit' ed upon the toe. According to the preferred form of the invention the shoe is- ;he

d during the turning operation by an upper support and a sole support.

Still further features of the invention consist in certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantagesof which will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the'prei erred form of the invention, Fig urel represents a side elevationof the improved turning machine with the supporting member withdrawn into an inoperative p0 sition; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section in elevation of the head of the turning machine shown in Fig.1 and illustrating the relative positions of the turning instrumentaliti'e's with a shoe supported thereon at the commencement of the turning operation; Fig.3 is a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a section in elevation of certain portions of the machine illustrating the turning instrumentalities substantiallyat the completion ofthe turning operation.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the toe of the shoe is engaged by a turning member 10 which is slidingly sup ported within a housing 11, mounted upon a head 12. The shoe is clamped in position against the turning member by a shoe supporting member 15, projecting within the shoe and having an enlarged end16 arranged to clamp the toe portion of the sole firmly against the turning member 10-, as shown clearly in the drawings. The upper of the shoe. is supported adjacent thetoe by a finger 1.7 projecting within the upper and secured to a slide 18 guided within a laterally ex tending frame 19, secured to a head 20.

The turning instrumentalities are oper atcd pneumatlcally to firstclamp thetoe of the shoe between theturning'and supporting members and to next relatively actu'atethe turning member and finger to turn the upper of the shoe about the: finger.

cylinder 27. The piston is normally retained in the position shown in Fig; 2 by'a spr1ng-28surround1ng the stem andanter To this end the turning member lO is provided with an elongated stem 25 havinga piston 26 se cured to the rearend and sliding within a till) its posed between the piston and the end of the housing 11. The turning member is actuated to turn the upper of the shoe by admitting air behind the piston 26 and to this end an air pipe 30 is threadedly connected to the end of the cylinder 27 through a coupling member 31. The flow of air is conveniently controlled by a manually operated valve 32 located in the air pipe in a position convenient to the operator. The shoe support 15 is slidingly mounted in the slide 18 and is provided with an enlarged end 33 closely fitting within a tubular extension 34. The extension 34 is threadedly connect ed with a hollow plunger 35, received within a cylinder 36, threadedly secured to the head 20. The plunger 35 is provided with an axial bore 38 which is smaller than the inner portionof the tubular extension 34 for a purpose to be presently described. Air under pressure is conveniently admitted he hind the plunger 35 through an air pipe, indicated at 40 and controlled by a manually operated valve 41. It will be noted that with this construction upon opening the valve 41 pressure is exerted upon the plunger 35 and the piston 33, tending to move both the slide 18 and the support 15 to the left or into the position shown in Fig. 2. Accordingly, in operating the machine the shoe to be turned is first supported upon the member 15 with the upper of the shoe projecting over the finger 17 and the valve 41 .is then opened, causing the support and fin ger to move the shoe into engagement with and clamp the shoe against the end of the turning member 10. Next, the valve 32 is opened admitting air behind the piston 26 which causes the turning member 10 to move to the right against the pressure of the support 15 and finger 17. As this movement of theturning member continues, the support 15 is retracted relative to the finger l7 owing to the greater pressure exerted upon the former and the piston 33 slides within the tubular extension 34. This movement of the turning member and support relative to the finger causes the upper of the shoe to be drawn over the finger, turning the shoe.

Owing to the fact that the area of the piston 26 operating the turning member 10 is considerablv greater than the area of the end of the plunger 35, the force tending to move :the turning member is sufficiently great to overcome the resistance of the support 15 and finger 17 in-addition to the resistance incident to'turning the shoe, although this force is not suflieiently great to cause damage to the sole or upper of the shoe during the turning operation. It has been stated previously that during the turning operation the support and turning member were moved relative to the finger 17, or in other words, the finger 17 is retracted more slowly than the support 15 to cause the upper of 2 of the drawings that pressure upon the end 37 'of'the plunger 35, tending to resist the withdrawal of the finger, is. opposed by the pressure upon the end 39 of the plunger so that the effective resistance to the withdrawalof the finger is governed by the excess of pressure upon the end 37 of the plunger over the pressure on the end 39 of the plunger. This pressure is only sufficient to maintain the upper distended and cause the upper to be drawn smoothly over the turning finger without tending to tear the upper or break the stitches connecting the upper with the sole.

In order to further expedite the turning of the shoe, a pair of spreader members are positioned upon opposite sides of the support 15 and project within the shoe, serv ing to spread the upper and sole apart. The upper spreader member 43 is arranged to project within the upper of the shoe and is curved to conform generally with the transverse curvature of the upper. This member, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, is secured to the under sideof a plate 44, mounted. upon the frame 19 and normally retained in the position shown in Fig. 2 by springs 46, connecting the up turned end 47 or the plate with studs 48,. mounted upon the frame. This spreader member is retained in the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings untilthe rearward movement of the slide 18 causes the face of the slide to engage with the lower end of a stud 50, slidingly supported upon the plate, causing the spreader member thereafter to move rearwardly with the slide and finger 17. In order to permit the springs 46 to return the spreadermember to its initial position at the completion of the turning; operation, the stud 50 is provided with an inclined lower-end 51 which engages with a correspondingly inclined face 52, formed upon the frame causing the studto be elevated against the action of a leaf spring 53 which normally holds the stud in the position shown in Fig. 2. This elevation of the stud releases the spreader member from the slide 18 and permits the return thereof by the springs 46. lVhen the shoe is initially clamped in position the sole is engagedand -ject within the shoe and engage the innerestes surface-ct thezsole, secured tothe. end of, ai'evtjr, 5s, ivoted", at, .9O1 itl1e underside of the name 1 9. The spre ader, .is i normally depressed by a springfip interposed between, ,the franie-an d the lever .58 and the position.

ofv the spreader "is, determined by a stop memberBQ, engaging .vvitli the opposite end of the lever 58 and threaded upon a studfii depending from. the tra ne v 19. According to this jconstruction as will be obvieusirom an inspectionlof Fig. 4 of thedraWings, the continnledmovement,of the turning member lOfforces thesuppor-t, 15 and the finger 17 past theupper and lower spreader members,

drawing the upper and sole, respectively, about these members to complete the turning.

operation. When the rearward movement of the finger 17 causes the slide 18to engage Withthe stud the nppenspreader 43is moved rearwardly untilitvreaches a position substantially .opposite the lover spreader at the completion of; the turning operation When the; elevation of the. stud permits the upper spreader tobereturned toits initial position. It willbenoted thatthe air pres sure behind the piston3'3andplunger 35 serves toclampthe toe of. the shoe firmly against, the turning member 10 during the entire turningoperation. The movement of the turning member 10 is limited by rthelengagement of thepiston 26 with a shoulder formed bythe reduced end of the hous-j be rl lll is provided with an bore 67 restrictedsize, which is normally. closed by.

a plate salve Thisvalve is secured, to a stem -69,Sl1Cl1Ilg.W1thlIl a recess formedin the piston 26.:ai1dghaving an enlarged end 70 which is engaged by a spring? 1,:received Within the, reeess and normally tending to maintain the valve in the position shown in Fig. 2. In this position the enlarged end 70extends beyond the face of the piston 26. Whenjthe piston reaches the end of the stroke and. engages ivit'h the shoulder 65, the enlarged end. 70 is, forced within the recess fas shown clearly in Fi 4, "to open the valve 68f and. permit theair within the cylinder to now through the passage 67 into the. toe ofthe shoe. This serves to smooth 10 i: 11 easessteer a t sans th upper, eifectuallyaiding in the. com

pletion of, the turning operation.

Inordei; to adjust the machine for. shoes or 'diii'erent 'lengtli's' it is necessary, inasmuchas the endof'the stroke of the turning member is predetermined, to adjust the initial position of .thetoe'olif the shoe at the beginning of the turning operation. To thisend thehousing 11 is provided With an adjustable cap 75, having a curved shoeSupQ porting end'76 against which the toeofthe shoe is clamped by the member 15. The

cap is provided with asliding latch 77, the

end of which engages with one of a series of recesses 78 formed in the housing 11 to retain the latch in any adjusted position. The position of the cap determines the initialpositionof the toeot the shoe and in consequence enables the effective stroke of. the turning member to be variedivithin the desired limits. In addition to this adjustment, the head 12 is slidingly supported upon the base of the machine and is provided ivithla sliding latch 80, arranged to engage with a ratchet plate 81. The latch is conveniently operated through a lever 82 pivoted at 83. i i

While it is preferred to employ the spe cific construction and. arrangement. of parts shown and described, it Willbe understood that. this construction and arrangement is not essential "except so "faras specified in the claims, and may be changed or modified Without departing from the broader features of the invention. l l

The invention havingbeen described, What is claimed is:

1. A shoeturning machine, having incombination, a-turning member arranged toengage with the toe of the shoe, a cooperating,

member projectingwvithin the shoe and arranged to hold the shoe agalnstthe turning member, means for moving the turning member lengthwise of the shoeto turnthe upper from the too toward the heel of the shoe,

and an upper support projecting Within the shoe to cause the upper to be turned thereover as thetoe ofithe shpeis movedwvith the turning. member. i

2. A shoeturning machine,having in combination, a turning memberarranged, toengage with the toe portion of the shoe, yield ingmeans [for hqldingthe toeportion of the, shoe in engagement- \viththe turning member, means for actuatingv the turning, member lengthwise of the shoe to turn the latter tromthe toe towardthe heel, andupper supporting, means yieldingin the direction ofthe turning operation.

3. Ashoe turningmachil e ha ving incoin bination, a turning member. adapted to engage with the toeportion of the shoe, :1 shoe support. 5E0]?yieldinglyholding the shoe in engagement. with the turning member, mech; anism for actuating the turning member lengthwise of the shoe to turn the latter from the toe toward the heel, and upper and sole supports projecting Within the shoe and adapted to support the upper and sole, respectively, during the turning operation.

4. A shoe turning machine, having in combination, a stationary supporting cap, a shoe support adapted to yieldingly clamp the toe portion of the shoe against the cap, a turning member, means for actuating the turning member to cause the latter to engage with the toe of the shoe and move the toe of the shoe in a lengthwise direction toward the heel and an upper support projecting within the shoe and adapted to cause the up per to be turned thereover as the toe of the shoe is moved with the turning member.

5. A shoe turning machine, comprising a shoe support and a coiiperating turning member, means for actuating the turning member, and means operative at the completion of the turning operation for forcing air into the interior of the shoe to distend the toe portion of the upper and smooth out the lining.

6. A shoe turning machine, comprising a shoe support, a cooperating turning member adapted to engage with the toe portion of the shoe, means for actuating the turning member in a direction lengthwise of the shoe, and means controlled by the movement of the turning member for forcing air into the interior of the shoe to distend the toe portion of the latter.

7. A shoe turning machine, having in combination, a shoe support, a coiiperating'turning member, pneumatic means for advancing the shoe support toward the turning member, pneumatic means for actuating the turning member in the opposite direction to turn the shoe, and an upper support about which the upper is turned during the move ment of the turning member.

8. -A shoe turning machine, having in combination, a turning member, a cooperating shoe support, pneumatic means for advancing the turning member to carry the too of the shoetoward the heel, pneumatic means for holding the shoe support in engagement with the toe of the shoe during the turning.

operation, an upper support projecting within'the shoe, and means for permitting the upper support to move in the direction of the turning operation.

9. A shoe turning machine,'having in combination, a turning member, a cooperating shoe support, a pair of cylinders, a piston supported within each cylinder and connected to the turning member and shoe support, respectively, and means for admitting air under pressure within the cylinders to move the pistons in opposite directions.

10. A shoe turning machine, having in combination, a pair of cylinders, a piston supported within each cylinder, a turning member connected to one pi'ston,a shoe'sup port connected to the second piston, means for admitting air under pressure within the cylinders to move the shoe support and turning member in opposite directions, and a spring for returning the turning member to initial position when the air pressure is released. r

11. A shoe turning machine, having in combination, a cylinder, .a piston'sliding within the cylinder, a turning member con nected to the piston, means for admitting air behind the piston to advance the turning member, a shoe support, and means for actuating the shoe support to cause thelat ter to yleldingly hold the toe of the shoe against the turning member during the turn a turning member, an upper support projecting within the shoe,an upper spreader, means for yieldingly retaining the upper spreader in an advanced position. and means for causing the upper spreader to be moved 4 rearwardly by the upper support during the turnlng operation.

14;. A shoe turning machine, comprising a turning member, means for moving the turning member lengthwise of the shoe to turn the latter, an upper support adapted to move in the direction of the turning movement, an upper spreader, means forcau'sing the upper spreader to move rearwardly with the upper support, and means for returning the upper spreader. to initial position at the completion of the turning operation.

15. A shoe turning machine, comprising a turning member having an 'air' passage formed therein, a valve normally closing theair passage, means .for actuating the turning member, and means for opening the valve when the turning member completes its stroke at the end of the turning operation to cause air to be directed interior. of the shoe. I

16.A shoe turning machine, having in combination, a shoe support, a stationary cylinder, a piston sliding within the cylininto the der, and connectedto the shoe support, a

turning member, a second cylinder, a second piston of larger size slidingwithinthe cyl inder and connected to the turning member, and means for admitting air under pressure into the two cylinders behind'the respective V,

pistons. i p 3 a 17.. A shoe turning machine, comprising a shoe support, an upper support,a hollow stein connected to the upper support, a cylinder Within which the stem slides, a piston connected to the shoe support and sliding Within the hollow stem to cause the connections for the shoe and upper supports to telescope Within one another, and means for admitting air under pressure to the cylinder to advance both the shoe and upper supports.

18. A shoe turning machine, having in combination, means for holding a shoe, a member engaging with the toe of the shoe, and mechanism for advancing the member relative to the shoe holding means to turn the forepart of the shoe by a pressure exerted upon the toe.

19. A shoe turning machine, having in combination, an upper support, a sole support, a member engaging with the toe of the shoe, and mechanism for advancing the member relative to the supports to turn the forepart of the shoe by a pressure exerted upon the toe.

MEYLERT BRUNER. l VALTER V. NEAL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

